Retired staff of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations continued their agitation here on Saturday demanding proper and timely disbursal of their pensions among other things.
In a pre-dawn protest that also saw he participation of several serving TNSTC staff, retired employees led by the office-bearers and members of the various trade unions active in the Corporations prevented the buses from being taken out of teh depots at Jebamalaipuram. The protest went on for two hours.
The protesters said that the pension was being disbursed through the Transport Corporation Pension Trust in the past but in the recent years with the steep increase in the number of pensioners the Trust became defunct in December 2016. The Transport Minister intervened and assured that things would be set right by March which has not happened putting to trouble the aged pensioners and their families. The agitations have continued since March 16.
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The TMC INTUC general secretary K.Chandrasekaran led the protest in which LPF vice-president Jayavel Murugan, AITUC Transport Union general secretary Durai Mathivanan, CITU vice-president N. Kannan, INTUC general scretary Mohanraj, participated.
Demonstrations wer also held in front of the Thanjavur Mofussil Depot and State Express Transport Corporation Bus Terminus in Thanjavur.
In Kumbakonam, the headquarters of the TNSTC, Kumbakonam Division, scores of pensioners gathered and staged a demonstration for the third day in front of the divisional headquarters. The agitation was also conducted near the Kumbakonam Town depot. In certain cases, some TNSTC drivers who had completed their duties for the day and who could not take their vehicles for fuel filling left them by the roadside adn went away, it is said.
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